Regardless of its size, each and every business has a story to tell. Now they have a platform to get their stories heard, products showcased and be discovered throughout Asia.

Collectively, home grown businesses in Asia have achieved great things, driving their local economies and serving their own communities in their own ways, but little are they recognised for this. Whether it’s a family business or creating a new business driven by passion, Singtel myBusiness is taking the opportunity to help these businesses in Asia stand out through an online networking platform called Small Businesses of Asia (SBOA). Targeting five countries in Southeast Asia - Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, SBOA lets micro, small and medium businesses in Asia showcase themselves and allows other members to contact them for free.

One such example is that of Roger & Sons, a Singaporean carpentry workshop. When the second-generation owners inherited the business, they were tasked with revitalising the age-old trade to ensure its relevance in this day and age. Today, it renders bespoke woodworking services that provide their customers a hassle-free way to customise and personalise furniture.

ROGER & SONS

Manufacturing | SINGAPORE

Determined to uphold the legacy, Morgan Yeo, together with his younger brothers, Lincoln and Ryan, took up the mantle of their late father’s carpentry business and rebranded the company to carry their father’s namesake not only in tribute, but to bring a contemporary and youthful vigour to an otherwise fading industry. The trio’s mother, Maisy, affectionately known as the Care Officer, ensures the welfare of their staff and her sons. “This company is like my father’s presence (is) among us,” said Morgan. www.rogerandsons.sg

There are many more of such stories waiting to be shared. SBOA is a platform that lets businesses who want their stories to be heard and be discovered by their peers and customers in the region. It connects like-minded business owners to collaborate and create new opportunities with each other.

Hundreds of SMEs have already joined the community to share their stories and be connected.

Realising the possibility of combining her e-commerce experience with art, Tian Qiuyan co-founded the online portal with lifelong friends, Michelle Chan and Alexandra Eu, to provide Southeast Asian artists with global exposure. Inspired by the creativity, conversations and connections encountered during their travels, the trio hopes to enthuse a broader audience to discover and support artists from the region. “Having it online really gives them almost like an equal playing field,” said Michelle. www.artloftasia.com

CAVALIER

Retail | SINGAPORE

Married couple, Angela Chong and Perry Lam, with a combined experience of 23 years in advertising and media, “traded the life of comfort for one that’s worth fighting for”, to conceive CAVALIER, a boutique selling sartorial street wear for children and adults. On chasing her dream, Angela recalls being inspired living in a stylish household, grasping the ideas of colour, detail and quality from a young age. Her bold design philosophy is “that each piece would be something that we would rock ourselves”. www.cavaliervault.com

WEDDING.COM.MY

Services | MALAYSIA

The frustration felt by co-founder, Petrina Goh, when she was planning her own wedding, served as the driving force behind the matrimonial content aggregation website. Together with her husband, Kelvin Leow, and Stacey Lee, the trio set out to create a visual database of vendors for couples to make informed decisions and engage professional services at the most competitive rates, leading up to the wedding of their dreams. “We aim to be the website to go to when you want to get married,” said Kelvin. www.wedding.com.my

TEXTBOOKASIA

Education | MALAYSIA

With doubts showered upon what many thought to be a highly improbable business model, founders of TextBookAsia, Bryan Ong (pictured) and Ted Tan, proved skeptics wrong after many failures. Providing attractive rebates of up to 50% from buying back used textbooks from college students while saving the earth’s resources, their greatest happiness came not from the spectacular sales performance, but from beneficiaries of their persistent efforts, “The most sincere thanks cannot be bought with money.” www.textbookasia.com

JEEPNEY TOURS

Hospitality and Travel | PHILIPPINES

Also known as the “King of the Road”, the jeepneys operated by Clang Garcia do not ply the busy thoroughfares of Manila and drop off passengers at random stops, but rather, bring tourists on thematic tours to see the main attractions of the city. Immensely proud of the cultural icon and inspired by bayanihan, or community spirit, she hopes to share the Filipino hospitality with travellers and to create a lasting and positive impression of the Philippines. “It’s a story of our people, of our nation,” said Clang. www.jeepneytours.com

BINALOT FIESTA FOODS

Food and Entertainment | SINGAPORE

What started as an experiment in a food delivery service 19 years ago has now Filipinos salivating over the mere mention of binalot, which means wrapped. Rommel Juan, president of the food chain, championed an award-winning Corporate Social Responsibility programme to obtain banana leaves, a crucial component in their branding and packaging, from a community in Nagcarlan Laguna to help them earn additional income. “You can help others, and it’s also helping your business,” said Rommel. www.binalot.com

GREEN SCHOOL

Education | INDONESIA

“Bamboo is the future. It is the most beautiful, versatile, tallest and strongest material that we could possibly choose,” said John Hardy on the choice of building material for the educational institution he established with his wife, Cynthia, aptly named the Green School. Founded in 2006, the school immerses students in a holistic curriculum surrounded by greenery, and operating only on renewable energy sources, aims to cultivate critical and creative thinkers who can lead the way to a sustainable future. www.greenschool.org

Singtel myBusiness is the largest one-stop portal and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) marketplace for Small and Medium Enterprises in Singapore. It focuses on simplifying SME's ICT adoption journey, facilitating online collaboration and helps to deliver business advantages through SaaS productivity solutions, business and technology insights, aggregating opportunities for SMEs to find business tenders, and exclusive deals on office equipment supplies and services.